Garage

ABSTRACT

A garage enabling two vehicles to be parked one above the other comprises a garage entrance floor leading to a garage box having a garage floor lower than the entrance floor and housing upper and lower platforms for raising and lowering vehicles to be parked. The platforms are joined together through rigid pull rods and are guided in their movement by stationary vertical guide means. A hydraulic cylinder is operative to raise and lower the upper platform and through it the lower platform and catch hooks jutting away from the garage entrance floor engage that end of the lower platform adjacent the entrance when that platform is in the upper position.

United States Patent [191 11 3,861,546 Lendietal. e j p [451 Jan.21,1975

[ GARAGE i 468,552 3/1969 Switzerland ..2l4/l6.1ED

[75] Inventors: Ulrich Lendi, Stafa, Switzerland; Wilhelm Seinsche, Hohentengen,

Germany Primary Examiner-Robert J. Spar Assistant Examiner-R. B. Johnson [73] Assignee: Firma Mageba, Bulach, Switzerland A Attorney, Agent 9' Firmwmlam Anthony DruCker [22] Filed: Feb. 6, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 440,205

[57] ABSTRACT [30] Foreign Application Priority Data A garage enabling two vehicles to be parked one Feb. 15 1973 Germany 2307432 abOv'e the other Comprises a garage'emrance floor I leading to-a garage box having a garage floor lower [52] US. Cl. 214/16.1 ED than the entrance floor and housing upper and lower 51 1111. c1 E04h 6/06 PlatformS for raising and 1Weri'1g Vehicles be [58] Field of Search ..214/16.1 R, 16.1 ED P The Platform are joined together'thmugh rigid pull rods andare guided in their movement by [56] References Cited stationary vertical guide means. A hydraulic cylinder is operative to raise and lower the upper platform and UNITED. STATES PATENTS through it the lower platform and catch hooks jutting 3,337,722 6/1968- Flsher, Sr. et a1... 2l4/l6.1 ED away from the garage entrance floor engage that end 2 33152 214/161 ED of the lower platform adjacent the entrance when that 317121425 1/1973 .Klaus I: 2l4/l6.lED platfolm is h uppe FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICAT IONS Claims, 3 Drawing Figures 2,028,564 12/1971 7 Germany 2l4/l6.l ED

PATENTED AN2I I975 SHEET 1 OF 5 alllllll-l/ PATENTED JANZ] I975 SHEET 2 0F 5 The invention relates to a garage for parking two vehicles one above the other, comprising a recessed parking area with an entrance. Two vehicle parking platforms are located in said area. The platforms are connected to each other by means of rigid pull rods. The vehicle parking platforms support the parked vehicles and their ends adjacent the entrance can be optionally joined to the latter, the upper platform thereby being mounted, with its end remote from the entrance on a stationary support, so as to be capable of pivotal movement about a horizontal axis and the platforms can thereby be raised by means of a hydraulic cylinder articulated between the garage floor and the upper platform and the lower platformis thereby taken in a stationary rectilinear guide.

In a known garage of this type it is disadvantageous.

sequently occurs. Owing to the guide, extending up- I wards at an inclined angle to the entrance floor, for the end' of the lower platform remotefrom the entrance floor, there is a danger that, on being lowered, the end of the vehicle remotefrom the entrance may touch the rear wall of the garage.

It is an object of the invention to improve a garage of the-aforementioned type, such that it is possible to provide a stabilised connectionof the lower platform to the entrance floor and such that the lower platform is subject to the slightest possible displacement in the longitudinal sense of the garage during the lifting or descending movement.

According to the present invention,'there is provided a garage for enabling two vehicles to be parked one above the other comprising'a parking area disposed opposite the garage entrance in a recessed position, upper and lower parking platforms, operative to raise a vehicle, rigid-pull rods connecting the platforms together, means enabling the end of one of the platforms adjacent the entrance to be optionally joined thereto, stationary supports for mounting the upper platform with its end remote from the entrance so as to be capable of pivotal movement about a horizontal axis, a pressure fluid operable cylinder articulated between the garage floor and the upper platform and operative to raise and lower the platforms, vertically arranged stationary rectilinear guide means for guiding movement of the lower platform and means for engaging that end of the lower platform adjacent the entrance when the lower platform is in the upper position. I

for the lowerplatform, facilitate stabilised connection of the lower platform to the entrance floor, so that oscillation of the garage construction is effectively avoided in this position also.

The vertical guide can be provided at various locations along the lower platform, e.g. on the stationary support or in the area between the pull rods or adjacent the garage entrance.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, several embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the three figures of the accompanying drawings which respectively show a longitudinal section of three differentembodimentsof the invention.

Referring to FIG. I, a garage-box 1 has a floor 2 which is slightly inclined and is disposed in a lower position than the garage entrance floor 3, and an entry opening 4, the height of which is substantially equivalent to that of a normal garage. A base frame 5 is secured on the floor 2 and a support 15, extending to the height of an upper platform 13 and integral with the base frame 5 is provided on'the end remote from the entrance 4. The upper platform 13 is capable of pivotal movement aboutan axis '16 relative to the support 15. The upper platform l3-is connected to a'lower platform 6 by means of two pull rods 17 and 18 which are articulated on the platforms at theirend points. The pull rod 18, which is adjacent the entrance 4, has an adjustable screw 19 for length adjustment, in order to fix the relative positions of the platforms with precision. The support 15 has a beam 7 which forms, together with a bar 8 parallel thereto, a guide for a roll 9 which is rotatably secured on the lower platform 6. The roll 9 moves vertically in this guide whilst the platform 6 is raised from the lowered'position 6a shown by notching into the entry position according to FIG. 1 or is respectively lowered out of this position. The end of the lower platform 6 adjacent the entrance 4 has a stop 10, with the aidof which the platform is engaged with catch hooks 11 from below. In this position illustrated for the lower Owing to the vertical construction of the guide, pro-.

vision has been made-to ensure that oscillations of the lower and consequently of both platforms in the longitudinal sense of the garage are eliminated, since displacement of the lower platform in the longitudinal sense of the garage does not occur in practice-.Approximate equivalenceof the spatial proportions of the lower platform in the raised and lowered positions is consequentlysimultaneously attained, so that, particularly with long vehicles, contact at the frontal or rear end does not occur or is already apparent on travelling onto the lower platform before it is lowered. The force exerted on the vertical guide during movement of the lower platform is less than for the known inclined guide. The catch hooks, which function as upper stops platform"6,-the pull rods-17 and 18 draw the platform against upper stops, namely the aforementioned catch hook l1 and-further stops, not shown, in the vicinity of thevertical guide 7, 8. In the lowered position of the upper platform 13, i.e., in its entry position 13a, the pull rods occupy the positions 17a or 18a respectively. The lifting cylinder 14 is articulated on the base frame at 20 and on the upper platform at 21. The pull rod 17 is mounted on the axis of the roll'9 at its lower end.

FIG. 2 shows a modification of FIG. 1. In this embodiment also the upper platform 13 is mounted, so as tobe capable of pivotal movement about the axis 16, on the upper end of the, support 15, which isintegral with the garage floor 2 or base frame 5 respectively. The upper platform 13 and the lower platform 6 are connected to each other by means of the pull rods 17 and 18 articulated there upon. The vertical guide for the lower platform 6 is constructed on a traverse 22, fixed to the garage floor or base frame 5 respectively and adjacent the entrance 4'. Theroll 9, secured on the lower platform 6 so as to be capable of rotation, is re- I forms are for the remainder similar to that described with reference to FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows a garage construction which is distinguished from that shown in FIG. 1 by a separated arrangement of the vertical guide 26 for the lower platform 6 and the support 15. The vertical guide 26 encloses the two parallel beams 27, between which a roll 9 is guided, rotatably connected to the lower platform 6. The geometry of the movements of the two platforms corresponds, for the remainder, to that described with reference to FIG. 1.

What is claimed is:

1. A garage with an entrance and a recessed area with a floor for parking two vehicles one above the other comprising upper and lower platforms with a respective end thereof located adjacent said entrance, said platforms being operative to support a vehicle, rigid pull rods connecting the platforms together, means enabling the end of one of the platforms adjacent the entrance to be optionally joinedthereto, stationary supports for mounting the upper platform with its end remote from the entrance so as to be capable of pivotal movement about a horizontal axis, a pressure fluid operable cylinder articulated between the garage floor and the upper platform and operative to raise and,

lower the platforms, vertically arranged stationary rectiliriear guide means for guiding movement of the lower platform and means for engaging that end of the lower platform adjacent the entrance when the lower platform is in the upper position.

2. A garage according to claim 1, in which the vertically arranged rectilinear guide for the lower platform is provided on the stationary supports.

3. A garage according to claim 1, wherein the vertically arranged rectilinear guide for the lower platform is anchored in the garage floor in the area between the pull rods.

4. A garage according to claim 1, in which the vertically arranged rectilinear guide for the lower platform is extended upwards to the height of the upper platform and carries a bearing with an upper fulcrum for a hydraulic cylinder which is joined to another fulcrum on the lower platform.

5. A garage according to claim 1, in which the vertically arranged rectilinear guide adjacent the ends of the two platforms which are located on the same side as the entrance, are disposed between the entrance and the pull rods on the same side as the entrance.

6. A garage according to claim 1, in which the vertically arranged rectilinear guide contains at least two bars, which form guide surfaces, between which rolls are guided, secured so as to be capable of rotation on the lower platform.

7. A garage according to claim 1, in which the pressure fluid operable cylinder is hydraulic.

8. A garage as claimed in claim 1, in which the means for engaging the end of the lower platform comprises catch hooks jutting away from the entrance floor. 

1. A garage with an entrance and a recessed area with a floor for parking two vehicles one above the other comprising upper and lower platforms with a respective end thereof located adjacent said entrance, said platforms being operative to support a vehicle, rigid pull rods connecting the platforms together, means enabling the end of one of the platforms adjacent the entrance to be optionally joined thereto, stationary supports for mounting the upper platform with its end remote from the entrance so as to be capable of pivotal movement about a horizontal axis, a pressure fluid operable cylinder articulated between the garage floor and the upper platform and operative to raise and lower the platforms, vertically arranged stationary rectilinear guide means for guiding movement of the lower platform and means for engaging that end of the lower platform adjacent the entrance when the lower platform is in the upper position.
 2. A garage according to claim 1, in which the vertically arranged rectilinear guide for the lower platform is provided on the stationary supports.
 3. A garage according to claim 1, wherein the vertically arranged rectilinear guide for the lower platform is anchored in the garage floor in the area between the pull rods.
 4. A garage according to claim 1, in which the vertically arranged rectilinear guide for the lower platform is extended upwards to the height of the upper platform and carries a bearing with an upper fulcrum for a hydraulic cylinder which is joined to another fulcrum on the lower platform.
 5. A garage according to claim 1, in which the vertically arranged rectilinear guide adjacent the ends of the two platforms which are located on the same side as the entrance, are disposed between the entrance and the pull rods on the same side as the entrance.
 6. A garage according to claim 1, in which the vertically arranged rectilinear guide contains at least two bars, which form guide surfaces, between which rolls are guided, secured so as to be capable of rotation on the lower platform.
 7. A garage according to claim 1, in which the pressure fluid operable cylinder is hydraulic.
 8. A garage as claimed in claim 1, in which the means for engaging the end of the lower platform comprises catch hooks jutting away from the entrance floor. 